BBA First Year Tutorial Instruction Award Winner (2004)

Vanessa Liu - Teaching Statement

I am committed to achieve the following principles in pursuit of tutorial instruction excellence for BBA first year students. A list of examples of the actual implementation in classrooms is provided <removed>.

Interactive/ Collaborative Teaching Approach & Continuous Learning Progress Assessment
I define shared learning objectives jointly and regularly with students to enhance their involvement in the learning process design, acting as a learning partner rather than a tutor. Through IT-enabled discussion forums, our interaction (and among themselves) can be extended flexibly to off-class hours. I can also monitor their learning progress continuously and provide timely feedback by reviewing their discussion in these forums.

Customization to Meet Different Needs of Students from Different Disciplines
To cater for the different needs/backgrounds of students from different disciplines, I often use examples that are relevant to their majors to illustrate IS concepts. This helps students overcome their initial resistance to IS subjects and blend cross-discipline knowledge. Positive feedback on my teaching has been received from students from different disciplines.

Training on Independent Learning & Critical Thinking
I require students to prepare for class independently in advance and raise questions in the class. To confirm their understanding and stimulate critical thinking, I occasionally present arguments that challenge concepts taught in lectures and invite students to show their own opinions.

Practical Relevance & Connection with Business Communities
To ensure the students can apply theories learnt into practice, I often introduce localized case examples and share real industrial experience in class. This further stimulates students’ interests and also better equips them for their future careers. I also coordinated periodic industrial conferences, participating in which should enable students to keep abreast of the latest business developments.

Enjoyable Learning Atmosphere & Approachable Attitude
I create a quality learning environment through nurturing a relaxing while facilitative class atmosphere and being friendly and helpful. This approach provides the benefits of strengthened learning motivation, stronger sense of belonging and higher class participation.

Continuous Teaching Improvement & Timely Elicitation of Student Feedback
Students can submit feedback on my teaching anytime through an online channel. This facilitates timely improvement and enhances understanding of their needs. To further assess and monitor my own teaching performance, I conduct interim teaching evaluation to ensure corrective actions can be implemented timely before the semester ends. My teaching evaluation scores have been consistently above departmental/ College average <data removed>.

Participation in Program Support Activities
Participation in support activities such as Information Day and Mentoring Scheme allows me to gain better understanding of students/parents’ needs. It also provides opportunities for me to exchange teaching experiences with fellow colleagues, who serve as my role models and help me improve.

Emphasis on Whole Person Development
To enhance the whole-person development of students and to improve their self-esteem, I encourage students to consult me on personal matters (e.g., adaptation to university learning style etc.) through informal means such as ICQ. This approach enables me to provide support and encouragement to students and develop closer bonding in addition to the formal teacher-student relationships.